Welcome to defeating my weight blog. I have been writing the daily obstacles of my weight lose here for a year now to maintain my goals and to keep myself honest and focused on my journey.

Goals

June 01, 2010

Daily Food Myth

Myth #12: It doesn't matter how fast or slow you eat each meal as long as you're not overeating.

Truth: There is truth in the benefit of slowing down and appreciating the world around you, food included. Focusing on every bite can help you practice mindful eating, which has been shown to cut down on calorie intake. Slowing down between bites allows you to recognize your feelings of hunger and satiety so you have a chance to realize when you’ve had enough—then stop before you clean your plate and later regret it. Eating at a relaxed pace also means you'll chew your food more thoroughly, thus experiencing fewer digestive issues and less intestinal upset. This may take some practice. The hustle and bustle of daily life often catches up with us and sometimes it takes a conscious effort to take it easy and give your brain a chance to enjoy the food and tell you when you’re full.Myself: I found the truth in this along time ago, and then I had a baby. Then that baby became a toddler who liked to eat! It took me awhile to get myself back into this fame of mind, to slow down my eating, and to enjoy the time I am at the table eating a home made meal. When we eat on the go we aren't aware of our fullness and continue to eat more. It's so important for me to sit down at a table with my family and eat our meals. I also try to practice another habit, which is to try to not take seconds until 10 minutes after I've eaten my first portion. This is how long my body takes to digest the food and send a signal to my brain that I am still hungry. Now, because I have continually over eaten in my life my brain at times will still think it's hungry even when I am sure I've had enough to eat. This is were learning new portion sizes comes into play and having self control.